


you are the reason

by bezziemates



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, I have no idea where this came from, but it exists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 02:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16188269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bezziemates/pseuds/bezziemates
Summary: It hits Lena, then, why everyone was staring at her the whole day.On the back of the National City High School girls’ lacrosse team sweatshirt, the one she just took off, big, bold letters spell out a last name that is most definitely not hers:DANVERS.(In which Lena and Kara exchange sweatshirts by mistake, and the whole school thinks they're dating.)





	you are the reason

**Author's Note:**

> so i found the first 3000 words of this in my drafts, and i think it was supposed to be a multi-chapter but,,, i'm uninspired. and lazy. so ignore the fact that it's short. i'm leaving the rest up to imagination.
> 
> not proofread because i suck. but i hope you enjoy anyway.

Lena has always been proud to be a part of National City High’s lacrosse team. She loves the sport, and her teammates are wonderful and accepting people. When she’s playing lacrosse, she feels like she’s at home and carefree; it kind of takes away the thought of academics and her slightly (very) problematic family. Every practice session is vigorous and tiring, but she always walks out of them satisfied and fulfilled. And sore, but that part is irrelevant.

Coach Grant is, as most students say, insane. Her training is a new level of painful, and Lena can vouch for that. Certain training sessions leave her aching in places that she never knew could ache, and if she’s going by the anguished cries of her teammates when they’re asked to run seventy laps around the field, she’d say that Coach Grant definitely has some form of a sadistic mental condition.

Her insane training regimes are effective, though, so Lena's not complaining.

Well, she’s not complaining _most_ of the time, but in this moment, the only thing she can wish for is the sweet release of death, for the grim reaper to just take what’s left of her soul and leave a lifeless body behind. Hopefully her soul won’t feel the pain of her calf muscles, unless it’s so unbelievably painful that even her dying spirit would feel physical pain.

“Keep running, girls, those abdominal muscles don’t come from nowhere!” Coach Grant shouts, and it’s rather odd that she’s not perspiring in the sweltering heat of summer, but Lena’s learned by now not to question all the weird things about Coach Grant.

It’s not like she can focus for long on that, anyway, because she can feel her legs crying ever so slightly, but seeing her fellow teammates run alongside her makes it just a little less miserable.

She feels a tap on her shoulder from whoever just came up beside her. “Dying yet?” a teasing voice asks from beside her, breathless from the fifty-six laps they’ve been running.

Lena turns to see the team captain, Kara Danvers, smiling at her. “You wish,” she replies, grinning. “Maybe you should ask yourself that question instead. I’m surprised anyone would want to have a conversation while we’re in this state.”

“It’s called encouragement,” Kara replies, pouting. “You have insane stamina,” she marvels, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Tell that to my legs, they’re literally crying as we speak,” Lena retorts, panting.

“Hey, you know what they say,” Kara says, smiling. “If we suffer…”

“We suffer together,” Lena finishes for her, smirking. “Well said, captain. Now, less talking, more running. We’ve only got about ten laps left.”

Kara’s smile only grows, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Your wish is my command.”

//

“Today was marginally better than yesterday,” Coach Grant says to them, reading off of her clipboard. “I expect that the next time there’s another seventy lap run, all of you will move those short legs of yours just a little faster. Eventually, we’ll become some form of immortal.”

Winn, someone who’s helping Coach Grant out in the training, stutters a little, glancing at the clipboard. “Uh… Coach Grant?”

Coach Grant turns back to look at him, eyebrows raised. “Yes, Woon?”

“It’s Winn,” Winn corrects her, tripping over his words. “I just wanted to ask what you’re looking at, because there’s nothing on your clipboard.”

A few snickers pass through the group of lacrosse players, while Lena bites back a smile. Coach Grant sighs. “Yes, but it’s mandatory to carry this ridiculous, oversized accessory around. It’s part of being a coach, even if I don’t actually need it. Speaking of which, your input is about as necessary as this clipboard.”

Winn nods, lips pursed. “Noted, with thanks.”

“Anyway,” Coach Grant dismisses him. “Good work today, but I expect better work tomorrow. Now all of you, go take a shower, this room is more humid than Bruce Wayne’s steam room.” She waves a hand, and turns around to leave, not looking back as she walks away.

“Well,” Kara says after a moment, clapping and turning to face her teammates with a smile. “Good work today, guys! Catch a good rest when you get home, I’ll see you all during training tomorrow.”

A chorus of goodbyes sounds from the group before they all disperse, some going to the lockers to pack their things, and others heading straight to the showers.

Lena walks over to her locker, taking out her team sweatshirt and placing it on the bench in order to retrieve her clothes, which were originally hidden behind the sweatshirt. She feels someone come to stand beside her, opening the locker adjacent to hers.

“I hope your legs are okay after today,” Kara says, peering around her locker to smile at Lena.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lena replies, a small smile on her face. “Coach makes us run these all the time, we’re all used to it by now.”

“Yeah, but I remember that you once told me about your mom making you do extra training. I just wanted to make sure all the training isn’t too taxing on you,” Kara admits, taking out her own sweatshirt and dumping it on the bench without a second look. Kara reaches into her locker again, taking out her duffel bag which was also hidden behind her sweatshirt.

“I’m alright, really. Maybe all this training will make me the level of immortal Coach wants us to be,” Lena muses, shrugging.

Kara laughs, her head tipping backwards and her shoulders shaking. “If that happens, maybe you can spill all your secrets, and we’ll all be immortal.”

“If it happens, you’ll be the first to know,” Lena assures with a grin.

//

The next day, Lena walks into school, calves still aching from the previous day’s training. By the time she managed to get out of bed earlier that morning, she was almost late, and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and her team sweatshirt, hopping to keep her balance while she put on her sneakers.

It’s a slightly breezier day than usual, and it seems like she’s not the only one who feels it, because many people are wearing hoodies and sweatshirts as compared to the usual t-shirts she sees during summertime.

She ties her hair into a ponytail as she walks through the halls, walking the familiar route to her locker. When she opens it, she takes out her books, placing her backpack in it. Feeling eyes on her back, she turns around to see several students staring at her. They immediately look away when they notice that she caught them staring, and she frowns for a moment before shaking it off and walking to class.

//

After third period, she’s convinced that the whole school is possessed, because she’s getting an abnormal number of stares from other students. She doesn’t even get any weird looks to begin with, so this is a completely new development, and it’s safe to say that she doesn’t like it.

She’s at her locker when she sees Sam come up to her with a grin. “Lena, what’s up?”

“Hey, Sam,” Lena greets absently, organizing the books in her locker. “Nothing much, except that everyone is staring at me and I’m beyond creeped out by it.” Even as she and Sam are talking, people are staring at her and whispering, and it's just outright strange.

“I was actually going to ask you about that,” Sam replies, head leaning against the lockers and a teasing smile on her face.

“Ask me about what?” Lena asks, brow furrowed in confusion.

“No one knew you were dating Kara, why didn’t you guys tell us?” Sam asks, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, we’re not particularly surprised, since you guys are really close, but-”

“What did you just ask me?” Lena cuts her off, taken aback by her question.

“You and Kara. You’re dating, right? You didn’t tell anyone. How did you even hide it?” Sam questions, laughing a little at the thought.

“Wh- what? Wait, no, Kara and I aren’t dating. Where did you get that information from?” Lena asks, turning to face Sam fully.

“You made it clear with your sweatshirt,” Sam juts her chin in the direction of Lena’s sweatshirt. “Bold statement, gotta say.”

“Wait, what? My sweatshirt?” Lena asks, beyond confused.

“Wait,” Sam says slowly. “You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

Sam points her thumb toward the bathroom. “Why don’t you go see what’s on the back of your sweatshirt? Maybe it’ll make more sense then.”

Lena places her books back in her locker, slamming it shut and dashing to the bathroom. She takes her sweatshirt off quickly, leaving her in a tank top, and turns it around.

It hits Lena, then, why everyone was staring at her the whole day.

On the back of the National City High School girls’ lacrosse team sweatshirt, the one she just took off, big, bold letters spell out a last name that is most definitely not hers: **DANVERS**.

Her eyes widen impossibly at the realization that she’d been wearing Kara’s sweatshirt – she practically paraded around the school in it, without the knowledge that it wasn’t even hers. It only takes another moment to recall that she had absentmindedly picked up a sweatshirt from the bench after her shower yesterday, and her sweatshirt had been buried with Kara’s in a small pile. And this morning, when she was rushing and didn’t check if the sweatshirt was even hers to begin with.

She wants to let out some form of cry, maybe ask if the grim reaper can just take her away, right here, right now, but no, nothing happens, and she’s still staring blankly at Kara’s last name, which glares back at her, almost tauntingly.

The bathroom door opens, in that moment, and Lena looks up to see Kara walk in with a smile on her face, also wearing their team sweatshirt. Kara notices Lena as she walks in, and her smile grows. “Hey, Lena! Fancy running into you here!” she exclaims cheerily. When she notices Lena’s slight state of undress, her cheeks color a little, and she clears her throat, but her smile doesn’t falter.

“Take off your sweatshirt,” Lena says, not bothering to give any context. “Right now.”

Kara looks shocked by her request. “What?”

“Take off your sweatshirt,” Lena repeats. She turns over the sweatshirt in her own hands, thrusting Kara’s last name right in her face. “Look at this!” Lena can hear her own agony.

Kara’s eyes at the rapid thrusting of the sweatshirt in her face, then sees the letters on it and frowns in confusion. She immediately takes off her own sweatshirt, leaving her in a sports bra, and turns it around.

Right there, on the back of the sweatshirt that Kara had just been wearing, Lena sees the letters clearly: **LUTHOR**.

“Golly,” Kara breathes, staring at Lena’s last name on the sweatshirt in her hands.

“You got that right,” Lena says, trying very hard not to stare at what Coach Grant would call ‘defined abdominal muscles’. Kara’s stomach is toned and muscular, and her arms are clearly defined as well. Lena tears her gaze away from the blonde. “People have been staring at me all day, and only now do I realize why.”

“We took home the wrong sweatshirts yesterday,” Kara realizes out loud, laughing a little.

The corners of Lena’s lips turn downwards. “Kara, why are you taking this so lightly? The whole school thinks we’re in some secret loving relationship which we _apparently_ decided to make known in the boldest way possible.” She raises the sweatshirt in her hands for emphasis.

“Well, this situation _is_ a little complicated, but it’s also kinda funny, isn’t it?” Kara asks, grinning.

Lena massages her temples, eyes squeezed shut. “Yes, this is indeed very funny,” she replies sarcastically.

She feels Kara step closer to her, and a hand wraps around her wrist, stopping her in her movements and bringing in back down. “Lena, please don't be upset.”

“I’m not upset,” Lena replies, sighing. “Just… rumors spread quickly, you and I both know that. And they’ll talk about it for a long time.”

“Then let them talk,” Kara says. When Lena looks at her, brow furrowed, she elaborates, “There’s no perpetual harm that could come out of this, and we can just clear up the rumors slowly. But there’s no way we can just make a statement to the whole school; gossip is perfectly normal, and they say what they want to say. What’s important is that we,” she gestures between her and Lena, “know the truth. And we do.”

Lena exhales slowly. “Are you sure about this?”

Kara smiles. “No, but no matter what happens, I’ll have your back, promise,” she says sincerely. “Will you have mine?”

“You know I will,” Lena assures, not missing a beat. “I just don't want you to be dragged into this whole thing. Rumors really suck.”

“It’s alright, they exist anywhere and everywhere,” Kara replies reassuringly. “We’ll take this in our stride, don't worry about it.”

“When you put it like that, I guess I’m sold,” Lena replies, chuckling slightly.

“So, we do this together?” Kara asks, a small smile on her face.

Lena smiles back at her, nodding. “Together.”

//

Kara personally finds the whole situation just a little funny. She agrees that this could end up with a bad outcome, but looking at the circumstances, there’s nothing she and Lena can do except live their own lives and wait for people to stop talking about it.

While that’s not the most efficient way of going about this, making a statement to the whole school that they aren’t dating will probably make it seem like they’re taking a trivial matter and making it into something big when it’s not that big of a deal.

Fortunately and unfortunately, there are some people who haven’t heard the rumor yet.

It’s fortunate because it means that it didn’t spread too quickly, but it’s unfortunate because people like Mike will still keep ‘doing their thing’.

“Hey Kara,” Mike greets, leaning against the locker beside hers.

“Hello, Mike,” Kara replies, forcing a smile on her face.

“So, I heard that there’s no training tomorrow. You wanna go out after school?” Mike asks, and Kara wonders if she should be grateful or slightly appalled at his very bold, straightforward question.

“Ah, no thank you,” Kara says, smiling politely and fishing through her locker for absolutely nothing. _This is a new level of low._

“Why not? You’re the ‘it’ girl, I’m the ‘it’ guy, we can be two lacrosse captains ruling the school,” Mike says, grinning.

“I don't really want to rule the school,” Kara admits, shaking her head. Her nose crinkles at the thought. “I just want to be me.”

“Oh come on,” Mike drawls, waving a hand for emphasis, “you haven’t even given me a chance yet.”

Before Kara can reply, someone comes up to Mike and taps him on the shoulder. Kara’s shoulders sag in relief at the sight of Lena, holding her books, and staring at Mike expectantly.

“What?” Mike asks, frowning at the interruption.

“You’re leaning against my locker,” Lena replies coolly, nodding towards the locker that Mike is leaning on.

Mike huffs, rolling his eyes and standing up straight. He moves away from the locker, then turns back to Kara, no longer paying any mind to Lena. “So, Kara. All I want is a chance. I can prove that you and I will be good together.”

“I can’t, Mike,” Kara says, staring at Lena for a moment, before deciding that facing the consequences of her idea would be better than the consequences of not doing anything except tolerating Mike. “If you haven’t heard yet, Lena and I are together.”

Lena turns around at the sound of her name, and, appearing to know what’s going on, stares Mike down. Mike looks between Kara and Lena, then laughs. “You and her? You expect me to believe that?” he asks, pointing at Lena incredulously.

“No,” Kara says. “But you have to either way. Ask the rest of the student body, we’ve been wearing each others’ sweatshirts around all day.”

“You’re wearing your own sweatshirt now,” Mike argues.

“Yes I am, because the statement has been made. If you want, we can change back, I can wear her sweatshirt and she can wear mine,” Kara suggests, raising an eyebrow.

Mike glares daggers at her. “You’re lying,” he insists.

“You can keep thinking that,” Kara says. “But just know I’m saying no to your invitation, so please stop pushing it.”

“Why would you date her anyway? What does she have that I don't?” Mike asks, crossing his arms defiantly.

“It’s not about that, Mike, and I hope you realize it,” Kara says, frowning. “I don't check off a list of criteria when I see someone, feelings are feelings. And I just don't feel that way towards you at all.”

Lena comes to stand beside Kara. “That, and I don't harass her all day,” she says, raising an eyebrow at Mike.

Mike’s glare turns to Lena. “No one asked for your opinion.”

“Don't talk to her like that,” Kara says emphatically, arm coming up protectively in front of Lena’s torso. “She spoke the truth.”

Mike clenches his jaw, looking away. “I still don't believe you. This isn’t over.”

He storms off before anyone can say anything else.

Kara sighs, running a hand over her face. She feels Lena’s presence beside her, silent and waiting patiently for Kara to regain her composure. After a moment, Kara turns to face Lena, stuffing her hands into the front pockets of her jeans. “I’m sorry, for that. And for lying about us dating, without your permission. It was uncalled for,” she says, looking down.

Lena waves a dismissive hand, smiling. “It’s not a problem, trust me. I’ve seen Mike trying to get with you for months now, and I’d rather we pretend to date than have him continue harassing you.”

Kara smiles a little. “Thanks, Lena. Really, I owe you one.”

Lena’s smile only grows. “What are friends for?”

//

Unsurprisingly, Mike tells on them.

As in, he tells the whole school that they’re dating. Which is weird, because he didn’t believe them, but Lena guesses that he thought it’d be some form of revenge, or something.

And within a few hours, everyone’s talking about it. Lena gets stares from almost every student she passes, even more than she did in the morning before Mike ‘confirmed’ it, and it’s really by far the most ridiculous situation she’s ever been in.

The worst part about it, though, is the epiphany she has during fifth period.

She _wants_ this.

She _likes_ being called Kara’s girlfriend. And the more she’s congratulated on their ‘happy relationship’, the more she thinks about what it’d be like if they were actually together. And that leads to her realizing that maybe, just maybe, she’s been in love with Kara this whole time, but just never knew it.

Lena’s never considered dating Kara before this. Maybe she’s had one or two thoughts about Kara being attractive, but that was it. But now, she sees it, and she sees it clear.

She _wants_ to date Kara. She wants to be with Kara. In a romantic relationship. She likes Kara. Maybe even loves her.

_Fuck._

//

At the end of training, Lena spends more time than necessary in the shower. A part of her hopes that Kara would have left by now, but another part of her really wants to see Kara's face. Her heart skips a beat when she walks into the locker room and sees Kara leaning against it the row of lockers, facing away from her.

Lena can feel her face heating up more and more with every step she takes, but she doesn’t stop, she just keeps walking. It’s just Kara, and Kara is good. Kara is nice. Kara won't find out that Lena’s in love with her, and if she does, Lena is one hundred percent going to flee the country.

Kara, probably hearing Lena’s footsteps, turns around as Lena approaches. “Lena, hey!” she says, smiling brightly.

Lena manages a small smile. She can't stop thinking about it. She can't look Kara in the eye without feeling like she’s going to spontaneously combust. “Hey.”

“So, Mike snitched,” Kara says darkly, grimacing, and Lena shrugs, moving to open her locker. She doesn’t even know what to say, because literally the only thing she can think about right now is how she really wants to date Kara, and how it’s unbelievably weird that she didn’t see it before. “Hey, Lee, you okay?”

The term of endearment is _not_ helping.

“Fine, why?” Lena asks, taking her belongings out of her locker.

“You look like you want to murder your water bottle.”

Lena rests her hand on the shelf inside the locker, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“Do you want to go out for food, then?”

“No, thank you though.”

“Come over to my house?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Watch a movie?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Sit in my car and listen to sad music?”

Lena frowns. “No, it’s really okay.”

“Kiss me?”

"N- wait, what?” Lena looks at Kara with wide eyes.

Kara just smiles sheepishly. Her cheeks heat up, and her hand comes up to rub the back of her neck. She looks bashful, and Lena probably looks like a fish out of water.

“I like you,” Kara says, and Lena supposes that it was meant to sound confident, but she just sounds shy. It’s way more charming, honestly. And it’s Kara, and Lena likes everything about Kara, so it’s a win-win. “And I just… I realized that if I don't say this, it’ll eat me alive. I just want you to know that I like you. And that I’ve liked you since we first met. I didn't want to say anything at first because I didn't want this to ruin our friendship, but I also knew that it's either I take the risk or lose the chance, and that if I never told you, I'd definitely regret it. So here I am. And I hope you don't mind that."

Lena can't even say anything. She can't form words. She wants to say something, but her mind is racing too quickly, and she really can't come up with something to say.

“Well then,” Kara mumbles, hands stuffed into the front pockets of her jeans. She’s looking down at the floor sadly. Lena wants to die. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I’ll just,” she point over her shoulder, “go now.”

And she turns around. It’s then that Lena comes back to the moment, actually functioning properly now, and she reaches out before Kara can take two steps away from her, fingers wrapping around Kara’s wrist.

“Sure,” Lena says, and Kara turns around, both at the word and at the soft touch on her wrist.

“Sure what?” Kara asks quietly, voice dejected and discouraged.

“I’ll kiss you.”

Kara’s eyes widen at that, and a slow, radiant smiles spreads across her face, eyes lighting up. It’s everything Lena never knew she wanted.

Then Lena steps forward, hand coming up to cup Kara’s jaw. “So… you like me back?”

Lena laughs. “Yes, Kara. I like you. Very much.”

And Lena feels arms wrap around her waist, then there’s a pair of soft lips on hers, and for a moment, she doesn’t even remember her own name.

It all comes one big round when she walks out of the school wearing Kara’s sweatshirt, and Kara’s wearing hers. And they’re hands are linked, and Mike is glaring at them, and just for good measure, to make sure that Mike is aware that Kara really is off the market, Lena leans up and kisses her on the cheek.

Then Kara turns her head and gives her a proper kiss, grinning as she pulls back.

//

“So… now that that’s all settled, do you want to come over to my place? We can order food and watch a movie,” Kara says, hands tapping a soft beat on the steering wheel of her car.

“Basically, you want to do everything you suggested earlier,” Lena replies, raising an eyebrow.

“Not everything, Lee, come on. There’s no sitting in my car and listening to sad music.”

There’s a short pause, then Kara’s hand darts out and switches on the sound system. Before Lena knows it, the melody of NSYNC’s _Tearin’ Up My Heart_ is reverberating through the car.

“Oh, come on!” Lena throws her hands up, but she can't suppress a smile.

“So, my place?” Kara asks, laughing.

Lena rolls her eyes, then grins. “Sure.”


End file.
